Draft and buffing rigging for railway-cars.



R. D. GALLAGHER, In.- DRA'FT ANDBUFFING RIGGING FOR RAILWAY CARS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG- ll, l9l5.

Patented J 11110 27, 19M

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

1),. f4 H? j A rim Q? gwwu.

$.MQ S31; 7 'I I I wac parts.

UNITED s ArnsfATEnT OFFICE.

RICHARD :o. GALLAGHER,

JIL, OF YORK, N. '2'.

DRAFT AND nnrr ne ncome ron RAILWAY-GARS To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD D. GALLA circa, Jr., a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Draft and Buifing Rigging for Railway-Cars; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, and

to the figures and characters of reference marked thereon.

This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for yieldingly resisting strains and wherein the yielding resistance of springs is augmented by frictional resistance between frictional elements.

The improvements of the present inveh'! tion are particularly adapted for use in connection with draft and bufling rigging,

for railway cars and the like, although it will be understoodthat the invention is applicable in all cases wherein it is desired to yieldingly resist the relative movements of In my prior Patent No. 776,390, granted November 29, 1904, I'have illustrated an apparatus employing successively-acting springs in connection with the frictionelements, wherebythe apparatus is vested with a capacity for varying the resistance to a,

greater degree than could be secured by the simple augmentation of spring reslstance.

The advantages-of employing successivelyacting springs in connection with the friction. elements have been fully set forth in said prior patent, but among these it may be here mentioned that the friction elements are not required to be constantly in action when the apparatus is resisting slight strains and thus constantly subjected to wear. ()ne of the springs operates to. absorb preliminary strains directly and independently of the friction .elements,the friction. elements not being called into play until the strains have reached a suflicient inagnitude to overcome or nearly overcome the yielding resistance of thespring. This construction considered broadly, results in a Specification of Le tters Batcnt. latent d 119 2'7 19,16 Application filed August 11, 1915. Scria11to.45,915.

much longer life .of the apparatus by pre venting undue and unnecessary friction in the friction elements, and thus reducing Wear of the contacting surfaces.

The object of the present inventiomis toprovide a draft rigging in which all the above mentioned advantageous featuresof merits, by causing the preliminarily acting -spring-to resist movements of the friction elements, asa unit, while the main yielding res'stance member is resisting relative movements of the friction elements. I]; the preferred form the invention, the prellmi narily'acting spring is embodied in an inherently axiallyre'silient casing which sur rounds the main ylelding resistance memeher or spring operating m connection with the main friction elements A casing of this character affords an efiicient protective covering for [the inclosing yielding resistance member, supplements and increases the range of resistance of the rigging under shocks of sufficient magnitude to operate the friction elements, in addition to absorbing shocks of lesser magnitude, so as to re-.

move unnecessary friction and strains from the main resilient elementsi Furthermore, the casing has the property of expanding and contracting axially with inclosed yielding resistance member, and, hence, any possibility of the parts jamming when under stress is avoided.

" Other objects of the invention are to generally, improve the construction of a draft and buffing rigging, and a full understanding of the nature and objects of the invention will be attained from the ,ensuingdetailed description, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which illustrate a structural embodiment of the invention in. a preferred form.

' he novel features of the invention will be particularly pointed out and specified in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional view through "a draft and buffing rigging adapted for application to railway cars and embodying the improvements of the present invention. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the rigging shown in Fig. l, the rigging being ren'iovcd from its position between the longitudinal center sills of a car. view similar to Fig. 1. and illustrating the in partially disasseml'iled relation. 3: a. sectional view of a modified form draft and buliing riggin Like characters of reference in the figures indicate the same parts. i

in both forms of the invention illustrated, which forms, however, it will be understood, merely sliowthe invention as applied to one type of frictional draft gear, the ri ging is mounted between the longitudinal center sills or draft-timbers of a railway car, and such timbers are indicated in Figs. 1, 3 and i of the thawing by the letter A. The usual stoic. it.

several in both directions and transmitting strains to the car frame. Pressure under draft and miiiing stress is applied to the rigging by a lrawbar B, of the usual form, and the yoke o: tail-stra p C which embraces the strain resi ting elements of the rigging.

The main friction elements adopted for illustration, in connection with the present Mention, are of a type now well known and sists, essentially, of a central wedge block .lcment D, outer wedge blocks D, and a :l'rirtion box D having oppositely inclined. faces D within which are located the central wedge block element D, and the outer wedge blocks I). Said central wedge block element and outer wedge blocli'sare shown aslieing substantially triangular in form, and the outer wedge blocks are adapted to be forced transversely outwardly by pressure against the central wedge block element in one direction. When pressure is applied in the opposite direction, the friction box 1) is advanced so as to move said wedge blocks 1) transversely inwardly toward each other and cause the central wedge block element l) to retreat. Central, nested springs E, E are provided for resisting longitudinal movement of the central wedge block element D, and in the form of the IDVBIHZIOXI;

illustratedin Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the'inner spring E is seated atone end within a cen-,

tral recess (Z in said wedge block element,

and at the opposite end against a follower" 'l-l. On the other side of the wedge blocks is another followeFH', and the followers ll, ll serve as a convenient means'ibctwccn which he friction elemeius and springs or Fig. 3 is a.

are mounted on the draft-timbers A or Hunting the movement .of the rigging j yielding resistance elements are supported axially. Springs E, E are somewhat longer than the distance between outer follower II and the outer face of central wedge block element D', as shown in Fig. 3, so that when assembled, the springs are norn'ially under a slight stress,' suliiciently to hold the central wedge block elements and the outer wedges in their normal release position, as shown in Fig. 1.

' The main resistance to relative movements between the central wedge block element D and wedges D isatl'orded by a relatively heavy spring coil F, surrounding coils'll, E, 'and of somewhat shorter length than the distance between outer follower H and \the outer face of element D. From this, it willbe noted that coil F does not come into play until sufiicicn't stress is applied to the rigging to cause follower H to abut against the free end f of coil F. Movement of follower H toward coil F or coil F towardfol lower H, depemling upon the direction of stress, is resisted by central COIlS E, E, but" mainly by an independently operative yielding resistance'element consisting of the novel radially and axially, expansible and contractible casing K interposed between friction box D and follower H.

In all the forms bf the invention,-the casing K consists of a fiat helical spring element which almost completely surrounds the inner yieldingresistance elements of the rigging, and is ofsuiiitient strength to withstand and absorb slight shocks, such as the normal jiggling of the rigging when-the cars are in motion, without it being necessary to call into play the friction elements. When, however, the casing K which has a pressure resistance less than the-combined resistance of I the coil E and wedge hl-dks or friction elements, has been prelimiii'a'yily compressed, or nearly compressed by strains of greater magnitude than could be resisted by casing 1C alone, tlllllOVQllleHt of follower H against spring F, shoulda butting stress be applied,

block element D, he resistance to compres sion of the spring F is further increased by the inherent resistance of easing K. Casing K, however, being axially resilient, does not increase the resistance of spring F to a degree suflicientlji' great to result in jamming I20 ofthe outer wedges-D to m'oveoutwardly -under the stress ap licdby the centraljwedge of the yielding resistance elements, but on cooperating resistance an the other hand yields to some extent under maximum shocks and the recoil, directly in Conjunction with the other strain-bearing elements of the rigging. In draft, the action ,of the casing is substantially the same with the exception, of course, that the direction vof movement of the parts is reversed.

In the modification illustrated in Fig. 4, a single ccntral coil lil is provided and retained in. position by a-centrally projecting lug d on the central wedge block element D.

In operation, however, the modification is substantially, similar to the form above'de scribed.

What is claimed is:

it In. an apparatus of the character described, the combination of friction elements.- p

2. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of friction elements adapted to move with relation to eachrable v other, a yielding' resistance element 0 in conjunction with the friction cements and arranged to resist relative movements of the friction elements, in one direction,

'and' an axially expansible and contractible casing surrounding said yielding resistance element and supplementing the resistance of said element tol'elativeimovements of the tricti on elements.

In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of friction elements adaptedto move with relation to each other, a yielding resistance element 0 rable in conjunction with the friction e ements and arranged to resist relative movements of the friction elements in one direction, a and an axially, expansible and contractible spring casing surrounding said yielding re sistance element and supplementing the resistance of said element to relative move ments of the friction elements.

4. In an' apparatus of the character described, the combination of friction elements adapted to move with relation to each other, a yielding resistance element 0 rable in cohjunction with the friction cements and arranged to resist relative movements of the friction elements, andan axially, ex-

friction' elepansible and contractible casing surroundmg the yielding resistance element and ar ranged to resist movements of the friction elements as a unit.

5. In anapparatus of the character de scribed, the combination of friction elements adapted to move with relation to each other, a yielding resistance element operable in conjunction with the friction elements and arranged to resist relative movements of the friction elements, and an axially, en'- pansible and contractible casing surround-- ing the yielding resistance element and arranged to resist movement of the friction elements as a unit and to be compressed preliminarily to'the yielding resistance element.

6. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of friction ele-.

ments adapted to move with relation to each other, a yielding resistance element operable injconjunction with the friction ele ments, and an axially, exoansibl'e and contractible casing 'surroun' ing the yielding resistance element and arranged to be com pressed preliminarily to the yielding resistance element. V

7, In an apparatus of the-character described, the combination of -friction elements 51% lation to ch'other, a yielding "resistance ed to move transversely with reelement operable in conjunction with the a friction -elemeiits and arranged to resist relative tran'st'er se; movement of the friction-elements in one direction, and an in' herently axially resilient casing\surrounding the yielding resistance element and arranged to resist? relative transverse movement of thdfriction'elcments in the opposite directions, a a

8. In an apparatus of the character described, the, combination of friction ele' ments adapted to move with relation to each other, a yielding resistance element operable in conjunction with the friction elements, and an inherently resilient casing surrounding the yieldingresistance element and having a pressure resistance lessthan the combined pressure, resistance of the yielding resistance element and the friction elements. y 1 g 9, In an apparatus of the character described,- the combination of friction elements adapted to move with relation to each other, a yielding resistance element operable in conjunction with the friction elements, and an inherently resilient casingsurrounding the yielding resistance element elements, said casing arranged to yield under pressure preliminarily 'to the resistv ance element and the friction elements.

'and having a pressure resistance less than H v the combined pressure resistance of the yielding rcsistanceelement and the friction 20. In an apparatus of the character deelement in one direction, and an inherently 19 T' ll;"(3\',l, the combination of a friction unit resilient ca'sing surrounding the yielding re-- including a longitmlinnlly movablefriction sistance element and arranged to resist relnelement and transversely movable friction tive movement of the transversely movable oeniis all movable relatively to each friction elements in tlieopposite direction a yielding 'stmcea-lement operable and bodily movement of the frictionele- 15 in ckmjuneti'm W h the friction unit and ments as a unit. zu'rzmgerl -to resist relative transverse move 311 611 1 of the transversely movable friction RICHARD D. GALLAGHER, JR. 

